Latest news with #AlexFitzpatrick
Axios
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Axios
How many journalists cover Philly
Whenever I think about reporting, two edicts come to mind: Journalism is a daily crisis memorialized, and it's about doing the best for the most. That's a mashup of what one of my Daily Lobo colleagues told me early on in my career, and I've carried it with me as a guiding star. Why it matters: There are fewer reporters across the country doing the best for the most. And that makes every day we continue to churn out newspapers, newsletters, Substacks, whatever your medium, even more of a daily crisis memorialized. Driving the news: The U.S. now has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" (LJEs) for every 100,000 people, down 75% from 2002 on average, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. That's according to the Local Journalist Index 2025 from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, a local journalism nonprofit. The big picture: About two-thirds of U.S. counties have a below-average number of local journalists, per the index, an ambitious project aiming to illustrate "the stunning collapse in local reporting." To crib Biggie: Less journalism, more problems. You can draw a pretty strong line between the lack of local reporting and our country's biggest problems: more polarization, less civic engagement, and not enough fact-driven gatekeepers to watchdog corruptible public officials and help us sift through the absolute tsunami of information we have available at the click of a mouse. Threat level: Americans could once dutifully rely on the Big Three — ABC, NBC and CBS — to set the agenda on what was important. Now with the saturation of social media, it's turning into Big Me — opinion makers and slant artists delivering hot takes for clicks rather than community good. Yes, but: Philly's lucky that we're bucking the trend. We have about 13 journalists per every 100,000 people, or about 201 total. And our collar counties — Bucks (6.5), Montgomery (8.2) and Delaware (7.9) — are toughing it out. The latest: It doesn't help when local public media outlets like WHYY must scrap to plug holes after Congress clawed back $1.1 billion in federal funding. State of play: Sometimes the absence of sunlight makes you realize how much you miss those muckrakers doing the disinfecting. Our scrappy team at Axios Philly does our best to bring you the most. Sometimes that's being a check on the local media ecosystem, while feeding you a steady diet of the biggest news in our region — from the garbage strike to the inner workings of the Parker administration to SEPTA's existential crisis. Mom and Dad always said you have to eat your vegetables (that's those stories you need to be a healthy, engaged citizen), but we also can't go without a little dessert and a brewski or two to make it all go down.
Axios
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
How local journalism is faring in Tampa Bay — and how to help
I'm about a month away from my 10-year anniversary as a professional journalist, reporting on Florida and Tampa Bay from local newsrooms and my home office here in St. Petersburg. It feels weird to acknowledge the milestone this early. I don't want to jinx a career that's already on borrowed time. Why it matters: New data puts in stark terms what I've watched with increasing dread over the years: a collapse in local news so dramatic it feels like a miracle that I'm still here. Stunning stat: The U.S. has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" per 100,000 people — a 75% drop since 2002, when there were 40, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. That's according to the Local Journalist Index 2025 from technology platform Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, a local journalism nonprofit. The big picture: The issue plagues big cities, growing communities and rural areas. More than 1,000 counties, or one in three, don't even have one full-time local journalist. That means fewer people watchdogging your local government, fewer trusted sources to turn to during hurricanes and breaking news, and fewer stories by locals for locals that help you connect with your community. As media analyst Brian Stelter put it, "The loss of local news relates to so many other problems plaguing the US: Polarization, radicalization, loneliness, lack of trust in everyone and everything." Zoom in: Tampa Bay is hanging in there. Pinellas County has eight journalists for every 100,000 people, or about 77 total. Hillsborough has 4.5 per 100,000, or 69 total. Sarasota fares the best with 13 per 100,000 while Pasco has two and Polk has one. The latest: Public media outlets including Tampa Bay's WUSF, WMNF and WEDU are working to make up funding cuts after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed more than $5 million in state money and Congress voted to cut $1.1 billion in federal funding. Between the lines: I love my job and feel lucky every day to be here. It's also come with a lot of heartbreak: Round after round of layoffs, tearful goodbyes with long-time editors who had their autonomy to leave on their own terms snatched away from them, and watching my generation of reporters move on to other industries just to pay their bills. Yes, but: There is still so much good.
Axios
25-07-2025
- Climate
- Axios
Flash flood warnings trending up in Georgia
Flash floods are becoming increasingly common in Georgia — a phenomenon consistent with climate change. The big picture: Nationally, flash flood warnings have set a new record this year, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. State of play: This past summer, sudden heavy rains have overwhelmed Atlanta's antiquated sewer infrastructure, damaged people's homes and property and flooded the interstate system. By the numbers: Warnings have been trending up since the mid-2010s, with 27 so far this year from Peachtree City's National Weather Service office, according to a tracker at Iowa State University's Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Context: Climate change"is supercharging the water cycle," sparking heavier precipitation extremes and related flood risks, according to Climate Central, a climate research group. Flashback: In 2003, a record number of warnings was issued in a single year thanks to severe storms in Middle Georgia. Over five days in May, officials counted "124 thunderstorm wind, 95 hail, 51 flash flood, 22 lightning, and 5 heavy rain events," according to a 2003 annual report (PDF).
Axios
25-07-2025
- Climate
- Axios
Heat index could hit 110°F in Richmond this weekend
We hope Richmonders enjoyed this last week of (comparatively) mild temperatures amid the sweltering summer because it's over: Dangerously high heat is back, starting Friday. Why it matters: Heat warnings and advisories are in effect for metro Richmond through Wednesday, according to data from the National Weather Service. The big picture: Another heat dome is bringing the dangerous levels of heat and humidity that the Midwest has been experiencing this week to the East Coast, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. The main driver is hot, moist air being drawn up from the Atlantic and trapped by a high pressure ridge. Zoom in: The temperature in Richmond will be in the high 90s for the next few days, starting Friday, and the heat index will be well over 100°F, per the National Weather Service Wakefield office. Saturday and Sunday will be especially brutal with heat indices reaching 109°F and 110°F, respectively. High humidity, which Richmonders will feel acutely this weekend, is especially dangerous, as Axios' Tina Reed and Natalie Daher recently reported, disrupting our bodies' ability to regulate temperatures. Threat level: Starting Saturday, the hottest weather in the country will "be found in Virginia and the Carolinas," per the Washington Post. Metro Richmond is under a "major" risk for heat-related issues for anyone without proper hydration or adequate cooling through Wednesday, per the NWS HeatRisk index. Long-duration heat waves can be particularly serious events, with warm evenings offering less of a reprieve and extreme heat having a cumulative effect on our health. During these major risk periods, locals should stay hydrated and in air-conditioned spaces and consider canceling outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day, the NWS advises.
Axios
24-07-2025
- Climate
- Axios
Flash floods on the rise in Utah
Flash floods are increasingly common in Utah — a phenomenon consistent with climate change. The big picture: Nationally, flash flood warnings have set a new record this year, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. By the numbers: By rolling five-year averages, Utah's flash flood count rose from 14 in 2000 to almost 45 in 2021, per Utah health officials. Warnings are also trending up, with 14 so far this year from Salt Lake's National Weather Service office, which covers most of Utah, according to a tracker at Iowa State University's Iowa Environmental Mesonet. That's more than the entire year in 1986, the first year for which data was available — and Utah's monsoon season is just beginning. Context: Climate change"is supercharging the water cycle," sparking heavier precipitation extremes and related flood risks, according to Climate Central, a climate research group. The intrigue: The state historically has the nation's least intense rainstorms, per federal weather data — but in southern Utah, a little water can create deadly floods. How it works: "Bare sandstone and scarce vegetation do little to soak up rain. Instead, muddy waterfalls cascade over the cliffs," Capitol Reef National Park explains in a warning to visitors. With just a half-inch of rain in an hour, "dry washes can fill with rushing water, several feet deep, carrying large rocks, logs and debris." Flashback: In 2015, a single storm caused flash floods that killed 21 people in southern Utah — the state's deadliest storm since federal weather analysts began collecting data in 1950. Seven canyoneers died in Zion National Park, while 13 people — three women and 10 children — drowned when a van was swept away near Hildale. A Hurricane motorist died in floods from the same storm. The latest: The Washington Post reported last week that the development of a tool aiming to predict how rising temperatures will impact extreme rainfall frequency had been delayed amid a U.S. Commerce Department review.
